Occupational Health Psychology: A Comprehensive Overview
Occupational health psychology is a rapidly growing field of research that focuses on the psychological aspects of occupational health and safety. It is an interdisciplinary field that combines the knowledge and expertise of psychology, public health, occupational health, safety, and ergonomics. The field of occupational health psychology focuses on understanding the effect of physical and psychological demands of work on the health and well-being of workers. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the field, including its history, concepts, and research methods.
History
The field of occupational health psychology (OHP) has its roots in the early 20th century. In 1910, the American Psychological Association (APA) established its first committee on occupational psychology, which focused on the study of job design and employee health. Subsequently, the APA established the Committee on Human Resources in 1948, which focused on the psychological aspects of work. In the 1950s, the study of occupational health and safety began to take shape in the form of research on workplace safety, accident prevention, and ergonomics.
In the 1960s, the focus of OHP shifted to the study of the psychological and social aspects of work. The concept of job stress was first introduced in the literature in the 1970s, and research began to explore the relationship between stress and workplace health. In the 1980s, the field of OHP expanded to include the study of employee motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational behavior.
Concepts
OHP is concerned with understanding the psychological and physical aspects of work that affect worker health and safety. Some of the key concepts within OHP include job stress, occupational burnout, organizational behavior, and work-family conflict. Job stress is defined as the psychological and physical responses to job demands that exceed the individual’s personal resources. Occupational burnout is defined as a prolonged state of physical and psychological exhaustion resulting from job stress. Organizational behavior research focuses on understanding how individual and group behavior is shaped by the environment in which they work. Work-family conflict refers to the difficulty in balancing the demands of work and family life.
Research Methods
OHP is a highly interdisciplinary field, and researchers employ a variety of methods to study the psychological and physical aspects of work. These methods include surveys, interviews, experiments, and observational studies. Surveys are used to measure workers’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to job stress and other aspects of work. Interviews are used to gather qualitative data from workers about their experiences of job stress or other occupational health issues. Experiments are used to test the effects of various interventions on health and safety outcomes. Observational studies are used to examine the long-term effects of job stress or other factors on health and safety.
Conclusion
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the field of occupational health psychology. The field is concerned with understanding the psychological and physical aspects of work that affect worker health and safety. OHP is an interdisciplinary field that combines the knowledge and expertise of psychology, public health, occupational health, safety, and ergonomics. Researchers employ a variety of methods to study the psychological and physical aspects of work, including surveys, interviews, experiments, and observational studies.
Reference
American Psychological Association. (1910). The American Psychological Association Committee on Occupational Psychology. American Psychologist, 15(7), 433-434.
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Mackay, C. J., & Cooper, C. L. (Eds.). (2014). The Oxford handbook of occupational health psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
O’Driscoll, M. P., & Cooper, C. L. (2011). Work-family conflict: An overview of the issues. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(2), 115-136.
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